Some features can be found on virtually any part of a
plant, these are named, surface
features. Generally the surface features refers to the presence or
absence of hairs (trichomes)
or other
characteristic, such as glands,
wax coatings, colours,
patterns etc. that combine
to give many surface characteristics. To describe the hairiness of an
organ (for example a
leaf, a
fruit, a spine ) botanists
describe the trichomes, their
abundance, and orientation, collectively called the
indumentum. There are over 25
terms used to describe surface features. The following are some
of the more common terms: